Review: Khazaddum – Plagues Upon Arda

Dwarven death metal eh? Well, being a massive Tolkien fan you could say that Khazaddum was always going to appeal to me but their latest release, ‘Plagues Upon Arda’ really strikes many of the chords I look for in a great death metal release. Out last year through self release, this is almost 40 minutes of axe swinging, orc shredding brutality.

After the grand opening ‘The Halls of Khazad-Dum’, ‘The Deathless Crown’ is ferociously single minded, barrelling forward with bloodstained intent. Combining the grinding low level heaviness of old school death metal with a firm grasp of the kind of speed and hyperactivity that makes Hypocrisy or Deicide so much fun, Khazaddum blast through these nine tracks with power and savagery. The addition of orchestral flourishes really helps to bring that Tolkien atmosphere to life. The books and films are basically beautiful symphonies of violence and majesty, and Khazaddum capture that perfectly when angelic voices soar in the background of the stunning ‘Lord of Isengard’.

From the fiery raging ‘The Fell Rider’s Scourge’ to the grandiose violence of ‘Shelob the Great’, ‘Plagues Upon Arda’ is a savage tribute to the beauty and brutality of Tolkien’s realm. Never boring and always devastating, Khazaddum are once again standing proud upon broken corpses, defending their dwarven kingdoms. Hail, kings under the mountain!